Posted on 06/10/2013 8:05:42 PM PDT by chessplayer
Daniel Ellsberg, whose leak of the so-called Pentagon Papers to The New York Times in 1971 exposed the secret history of the war in Vietnam, thinks Edward Snowden's leak of the National Security Agency's surveillance programs was more important than his.
"In my estimation, there has not been in American history a more important leak than Edward Snowden's release of NSA material, and that definitely includes the Pentagon Papers 40 years ago," Ellsberg wrote in an op-ed published by the Guardian on Monday. "Snowden's whistleblowing gives us the possibility to roll back a key part of what has amounted to an 'executive coup' against the U.S. constitution."
Ellsberg added on CNN Sunday night that “it can’t be overestimated to this democracy. It gives us a chance, I think, from drawing back from the total surveillance state that we could say we’re in process of becoming, I’m afraid we have become.
Government claims it has a court warrant under Fisa – but that unconstitutionally sweeping warrant is from a secret court, shielded from effective oversight, almost totally deferential to executive requests. As Russell Tice, a former National Security Agency analyst, put it: "It is a kangaroo court with a rubber stamp."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Nonsense. Only if you leave out 2006.
I don’t care when it started or who started it. I want it ended.
I believe that the John Roberts tearful flip flop on Obamacare can be directly tied to this invasion of privacy. The potential for blackmail of anyone opposing the government is obvious to anyone with half a brain.
Obama’s henchmen have their hands on everything you have ever said or done online or in a text message. If that doesn’t scare the begeezuz out of you, then you are fearless.
Right after 9-11, a pretty oft-repeated line went, “Hey if we alter any aspect of our free lives cuz of 9-11, then THE TERRORISTS WIN...!”
And this line was repeated so often that it got ridiculous —it was silly.
BUT NOW?
Some whacko pixie dust has gotten sprinkled around andt there are phalanxes of mymidons screaming that reservations about intercepting and storing forever ALL e-commo in the whole country is WEIRD.
Do people understand that we’ll be regimenting the USA even more rigidly than freaking IRAN? This would be turning Peoria into **Riyadh**.
Lexington/Concord afficianados are talking about ushering in 1984 as casually as if they were deciding on one TV dinner or the other, and it’s unreal.
You are not the only one it seems. Many are left confused by the cunning and lies of those who have seized authority beyond what the Constitution allows.
“Consider this: he took an oath to defend the Constitution.”
Do we know that employees of contractors like Booz Allen take oaths to protect the Constitution when working on highly classified programs? Snowden got his high level security clearance when he worked for the government, and we know he had some kind of employment contract to keep the secrets revealed through his work. But I’ve never heard of anyone working for a contractor who’s had to take such an oath. I’m not sure he is the one who a) took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and b) failed to keep his oath. I think that (dis)honor goes a whole lot higher.
from c-span (From June 9, 2013),
“Chicago Tribune Printers Row Lit Fest”
Fighting For The Press: The Inside Story Of The Pentagon Papers And Other Battles! James Goodale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCqS8gx2Z4c
Daniel Ellsberg “I Think They Have Everything And That Is The Recipe For A TYRANNY In This Country!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7wXVWjVfSY
Pentagon Papers’ Ellsberg Says Snowden Saves Us From The ‘United Stasi Of America’
I’m inclined to say hero based upon what I know so far. This NSA program is the 21st century version of the “general warrant” against which our Forefathers railed. The power to do evil with the tool is greater than the power to do good. Our government has proven it is incapable of doing good - the Boston Massacre II bombers were handed to us on a silver platter, yet we did nothing. On the other hand, the IRS scandal has shown us that we are not safe from the bureaucrats misuse of power.
There’s lots I don’t know here..
At first blush, he doesn’t strike me quite like Bradley Manning or Julian Assange.
I was in junior high when Daniel Ellsberg did his thing. I did attend some Senate Watergate Hearings as part of a high school summer class.
Treason and treachery are in the eye of the beholder. There is no obligation to follow a “legal” order, if it violates the Constitution, and there is certainly no obligation to follow an illegal order.
The military and government service predicate on loyalty and integrity.
One without the other is meaningless.
You mean 2005, don't you? If you're going to be contentious, the least you could do is get your facts right.
The 2005 applications were abnormally high because the Patriot Act was amended in 2005 and all existing authorizations had to be re-submitted.
The 2006, 07 and 08 years show an extremely low level of applications, with virtually all approved without modifications.
From 2009 forward, the number of applications has grown exponentially -- with only a fraction being approved each year.
From that trendline, surely you can divine when the act started to be abused. Indeed, we might suspect that some of the most egregious surveillance is being conducted without any authorization whatsoever.
Capice?
>>Ellsberg added on CNN Sunday night that “it can’t be overestimated to this democracy."<<
Yeah, except this isn't a democracy
We have a bunch of congress people who have a lot of skeletons in their closets that the Chicago/New World Order machine has found out about through “court” approved snooping. That’s why there is no opposition party.
Ross Perot once said “Surely we can find 435 honest men and women who are faithful to their spouses to serve in congress”. We haven’t found 435 who are faithful are faithful to their spouses. Nor have we found 435 who are squeaky clean and not susceptible to blackmail.
From what I know thusfar, I consider him a hero for alerting Americans that things are FAR worse than we thought and to be aware that we are watched every moment. (I say “hi” to the gubmint everytime I make a phone call, now.)
Benghazi Barry lies consistantly-he is a hypocrite—he surrounds himself with his marxist ilk—it’s apparent he wishes to bring America to her knees economically, he uses lies and fraud to attain power over us, decimates our military/defense and wishes to destroy this country that he hates and all the while, the damned dog has no “papers”.
I’m not going to pile on this guy for ANY info he can supply. I wish him good health and a long life, at this point.
When our “representatives” give a good G*d damn about the Constitution, I’ll eat my hat—until then, I want all the info I can get.
Depends on whether you are a RAT or a patriot.
Not much of a republic right now, either. Just how represented ARE we ? Really ?
hero. just my opinion.
Well, several states are crawling with RATs, they are probably well represented by the morons they send to Congress.
However, the red state folks had better have conservatives in place, or be anticipating and promoting TEAparty primary opponents for their RINOs.
A RAT will define a Patriot as someone who supports their government.
The Daily Mail had a quote by Snowden (I can't find the article right now) something to the effect that we are going to have to decide what kind of world we want to live in.
The day BEFORE, BO gave a speech using almost identical words.
This bothers me.
What if Snowden is playing a role? What is the end game? Cancel out the NSA data so that only the secret BO database exists?
Oh and the girlfriend thing is over the top.
The guy outs the government compiling a domestic dissident/enemies list . We have seen this before folks & it generally ends badly ie people finding themselves being told to STFU & get in the boxcar or standing on the edge of an open mass grave waiting for a shot to the back of the head.
“Ellsberg is right.”
Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
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